The 100 metre breaststroke for men contested on the opening day of the World Swimming Championship in Gwangju South Korea saw Mexican Miguel Chavez Gonzalez as the top CCCAN swimmer .He dropped more than a second from his personal best to record a time of 1:02.37. An aggressive first 50 metres of 28.99 helped him to achieve the top regional placing of 45th overall.

Panama’s national record holder Edgar Crespo recorded a 2019 best time of 1:02.62 (split time 28.83) for 48th overall. This is the eighth consecutive World Championships Crespo has contested this event .

Year

Time

Place

2019

1:02.62

48th

2017

1:01.74

32nd

2015

1:02.37

40th

2013

1:01.95

37th

2011

1:01.94

40th

2009

1:02.92

64th

2007

1:06.00

67th

2005

1:08.22

71st

Adriel Sanes .Photo courtesy of University of Denver athletics

Adriel Sanes of the US Virgin Islands recorded a new national record to place 48th overall. He lowered his old national standard of 1:03.71 (split time 29.27) from the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games to 1:02.91 (split time 29.18). His performance is also the best performance. The previous fastest time was done by Abraham McLeod of Trinidad and Tobago who clocked 1:03.47 for 49th overall at the 2013 Barcelona Championships. This is a big improvement for Adriel who had placed 63rd in the 2015 Kazan Championships with a time of 1:07.16.It is also the first top 50 performance by a swimmer from the US Virgin Islands in the event.

National
record holder from Honduras Julio Horrego was just off his national record of
1:03.30 when he touched in a time of 1:03.55.That is the fastest time a
Honduran swimmer has ever recorded at these championships. He placed 57th.

The
2019 CARIFTA Champion and record holder Izaak Bastian of The Bahamas recorded a
swim of 1:03.60 to place 58th in his World Champs debut.

Fausto
Huerta of the Dominican Republic was 63rd in a time of 1:04.65.

Rainer
Rafaela of Curacao recorded a personal best of 1:06.41 (split time 31.15) to
finish 71st overall.

Costa
Rican Arnoldo Herrera was just behind him with a time of 1:06.42 for 72nd
.

Alex Joachim .Photo courtesy of iwnsvg.com

There
was a new national record for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines as Alex Joachim
clocked 1:08.14 (split time 31.78) for 80th . The previous national
standard was set by Shane Cadogan just this year at the 2019 CARIFTA
Championships during the heats of the 15-17 age group.

For the third consecutive World Championships Trinidad and Tobago’s Dylan Carter continues to be the CCCAN standard bearer in the 50 metre butterfly. In the heats of the event he recorded the fastest time ever registered by a CCCAN swimmer at the global championships when he stopped the clock in 23.33. That earned him eighth spot overall and he advanced to the semi finals. In the semi finals he was just off that time and finished sixth in semifinal one in a time of 23.37. He placed 13th overall his best ever placing.Carter now owns the fastest and second fastest times done by a CCCAN region swimmer at the World Championships. He is also the only swimmer from the CCCAN region to make the semifinals .He had accomplished the feat before in 2015.

The
second fastest in the region was Seggio Bernardina of Curacao who equaled his
best time of 25.24 to finish 58th overall.

2019
15-17 CCCAN Champion Jayhan Odlum-Smith
and age group record holder for St Lucia was just off his national standard of
25.46 when he touched in 25.47.That was paced him 63rd.

Antigua
and Barbuda’s Stefano Mitchell touched in 65th with a personal best
of 25.69.

Irvin
Hoost of Suriname was timed in 25.97 for 65th

Grenada’s
Kerry Olliverre clocked 26.93 for 70th.

Guyana’s
Leon Seaton improved upon his seed time to finish 77th in 28.54

The 100 metre butterfly for men at the14th FINA World Swimming Championships in Hangzhou China saw Mehdy Metella who hails from French Guinana and represents France and Cadell Lyons of Trinidad and Tobago as the best swimmers in the 100 metre butterfly .

The last time both swimmers would have been at the same major competition was CARIFTA 2008 in Aruba where they swam against each other in the 15-17 100 metre butterfly. Cadell was the victor on that occasion

Mehdy Metella . Photo courtesy of swimswam.com

It would be Metella who would have the upper hand in 2018 as would make his way to the Championship with a series of swims of 50.42 heats ,49.77 semifinals and the Championship final of 49.45 (split time 23.02) to finish 4th . That performance lowered his national record of 49.58 set at the French National Championships last month.In 2016 in Windsor he had finished 5th and two years earlier in Qatar he had finished 12th.

100
metre butterfly

2018

2016

2014

First 50

23.02

23.50

23.67

Second 50

26.43

26.66

26.76

Final Time

49.45

50.16

50.43

Malia Metella .Photo courtesy ofwomenwhokickass.com

Mehdy is a part of regional sibling royalty as his older sister Malia who at one point owned the CARIFTA 50 metre freestyle Championship records int the 11-12 and 13-14 age groups at 27.86 in 1995 and 27.45 in 1997. She would then go on to win the Silver medal in the event at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games in a time of 24.89. Mehdy would match that achievement with a Silver medal in the 400 metre freestyle relay at the 2016 Rio Games.

Cadell Lyons Photo courtesy of Harold Wilson

Cadell placed 37th in a time of 52.91 (split time 24.52) . He was just off the national record of 52.81. He bettered the fastest time ever done by a swimmer from his nation. The previous best time at these championship was 53.15 by Joshua McLeod.

Seggio Bernardina
Photo courtesy of gwusports.com

Seggio Bernardina of Curaçao lowered the national record of 56.82 when he placed 44th in a time of 54.25.The old record was set by Adrian Hoek at the 2016 Windsor Championships

COMPARISON OF NATIONAL RECORDS

100
metre butterfly

Bernardina 2018

Hoek 2016

First 50

24.76

26.40

Second 50

29.49

30.42

Final Time

54.25

56.82

N’Nhyn Fernander touched in 56.25 (split time 25.19) for 51st.Zeniel Guzman of the Dominican Republic was 57th in a time of 57.57 (split time 26.89).

St Lucia’s Jayhan Odlum-Smith continued his record breaking in the 100 metre butterfly from the OECS swimming Championships when he set another national standard to place 57th. He registered a time of 57.64 (split time 27.49)

Jamaica’s Alia Atkinson was the regional standard bearer on the first day of competition of the 14th FINA World Short Course Swimming Championships underway in Hangzhou China. Atkinson made her fifth consecutive World Championship final in the 50 metre breaststroke.A feat no other woman has ever achieved.

Alia Atkinson Photo courtesy of fina.org

This morning local time Atkinson progressed to the final with a time of 29.54 but what was different this occasion is that she will contest the final as the fastest seed. This looks to be a good indicator that she will take the Global title in this event after winning three consecutive Silver medals.She has always made the final in the event five of the six times she has entered the event. In her debut in Athens in 2004 she had placed 17th in a time of 33.17.

Other ladies representing the region in that race were Victoria Russell of The Bahamas who registered a time of 32.94 for 34th. Anahi Schreuders lowered her own national record of 34.46 to place 39th in 33.90.

Marcelo Acosta
Photo courtesy of usatoday.com

The region’s top middle and long distance freestyler El Salvador’s Marcelo Acosta solidified that position with a new national record of 3:42.74 (split time that shattered his old national record set in 2014 in Qatar of 3:53.11. That swim ranked Acosta 13th overall a big jump from 2014 when he placed 51st .Antigua and Barbuda’s Stefano Mitchell placed 40th with a swim of 4:06.94.

Elisbet Matos
Photo courtesy of desdeesteladodelaisla

Elisbet Gamos of Cuba was the region’s top swimmer in the women’s 200 metre freestyle placing 21st with a time of 1:58.37 (split time 58.33).

Cadell Lyons was the top swimmer for the men in the 100 metre backstroke placing 36th in a time of 54.92 (split time 26.07). He was just off his national record of 54.36

Other regional 100 metre backstroke results

Cuba

Armando Barrera

55.07

38th

US Virgin
Islands

Matthew Mays

56.09

40th

In the 400 metre individual medley Costa Rica’s Daniela Alfaro lowered the 1986 national record of 5:12.86 by Olympian Sylvia Poll to 5:01.36. That swim placed her 30th overall.

Edgar Crespo
Photo courtesy of La Prensa

In the men’s 100 metre breaststroke Panama’s Edgar Crespo led the region with a sub minute performance of 59.40 (split time 27.40). Costa Rica’s Arnoldo Herrara lowered his own national record from 1:02.39 to 1:02.20 to place 51st overall.

Photo courtesy of Northern Michigan University

Other regional results

US
Virgin Islands

Adriel Sanes

1:01.87

47th

Curacao

Serginni Marten

1:01.87

47th

Aruba

Brandon Cheong

1:05.48

64th

St Vincent and the Grenadines

Shane Cadogan

1:05.78

66th

Krystal Lara Photo courtesy of womenintheworld

It was Krystal Lara of the Dominican Republic that had the region’s top time in the 100 metre backstroke. She stopped the clock in a time of 1:00.28 (split time 29.17) to finish 32nd overall

Other regional results

Cuba

Andrea Becali

1:03.96

41st

Panama

Nimi Murua

1:05.09

45th

Barbados

Danielle Treasure

1:06.74

47th

Grenada

Kimberly Ince

1:07.68

49th

Haiti

Britheny Joassaint

1:09.58

52nd

Jarrod Arroyo

2018 CAC Champion Jarrod Arroyo of Puerto Rico was the top performer in the 200 metre individual medley with a time of 2:00.97 placing 32nd , just missing the national record of 2:00.49 (split time 57.12). Patrick Groters of Aruba shattered the Aruban national record of 2:17.86 when he finished 35th in a time of 2:02.16 (split time 55.77).

The third day of competition on Friday Dec 7 at the 2018 SPEEDO Winter Junior Championships in North Carolina saw Jack Kirby of Barbados and the Baylor Swim Club as the highest ranked swimmer from the CCCAN region.

Jack Kirby UANA Gold medallist and Barbadian age group in the 100 metre backstroke

Kirby recorded a big personal best in the 100 yard backstroke heats. This as he dipped below the 48 seconds barrier for the first time in his career to record a time of 47.88. It also puts as him only the third swimmer from Baylor to break 48 seconds.

Baylor 100 backstroke Top Three All Time

Luke Kaliszak

March 2014

46.47

Sam McHugh

March 2014

47.74

Jack Kirby

Dec 2018

47.88

That time would propel him to the Championship final as he had the second fastest time from the morning swim. In that final he would challenge the 48 second barrier to place 48.13. That bettered his 2017 performance where he had placed sixth in a time of 48.67.His heats time was the 10th fastest time produced at both the East and West competitions.

Analysis of 100 back personal bests

100 back

Dec 2018

Feb 2018

First 50

23.13

23.46

Second 50

24.75

24.59

Final Time

47.88

48.05

There would be another big time drop for Kirby in the 100 yard butterfly. He dropped more than a second in the event to set his first sub 50 seconds swim of 49.30. That bettered the 50.68 he did in a time trial at last year’s Championships. It also moved him from 16th to third overall in Baylor history.It also places him as the fastest ever Caribbean swimmer from Baylor beating Jamaican Brad Hamilton’s time of 50.36 in 2008.

Bayor 100 butterfly Top Three All Time

Sam McHugh

March 2014

48.24

Greg Roop

Feb 2009

48.92

Jack Kirby

Dec 2018

49.30

That earned him a spot in the C final . He recorded the second fastest time of his career when he placed 8th in a time of 49.66.

100 butterfly

Dec 2018

Dec 2017

First 50

22.93

23.88

Second 50

26.37

26.88

Final Time

49.30

50.68

Nicholas Vale Photo courtesy of Michael C Lyn

Jamaica’s Nicholas Vale representing Pine Crest Swim club continued to close in on a sub 49 seconds swim when he recorded a personal best and club record of 49.37. That beat his previous team record set in the the heats of Florida 1A State Championships in November and placed him 28th overall. The 100 yard backstroke saw him stopping the clock in 52.14.

Jan Collazo Torres Photo courtesy of Trinity Prep Aquatics

Puerto Rico’s Jan Collazo Torres representing Trinity Prep Aquatics recorded a personal best in the 200 yard freestyle of 1:41.26 (split time 48.26) to place 53rd overall. That bettered his PB of 1:42.50 set in Dec 2017. It is also a major improvement on his performance at the 2017 Championships where he placed 100th in 1:44.59.

Also recording a big time drop was Curaçao’s Chadé Nersicio who represents East Coast Aquatics. She moved from a best time of 57.46 in the 100 yard butterfly done at the Florida Gold Coast Senior Championships in March to a time of 55.82 (split time 25.96) to finish 67th overall. In the 100 yard breaststroke she improved upon her 2017 performance where she touched 1:05.72 to stop the clock in 1:05.57 this year.

Jamaica’s Emily MacDonald of Bolles recorded a personal best of 58.08 (split time 27.07) in the 100 yard butterfly.

In the 200 yard freestyle relay the region was represented by three swimmers Gabrianna Banks of South Florida Aquatics, MacDonald and Nercisio.

Banks anchored her team with a split of 23.55 to help them to 15th overall in 1:34.13. MacDonald also had anchor leg duties for Bolles A team. She finished the relay with a leg of 23.86 to help them to a total time of 1:34.41 and 18th place. Nersicio broke the anchor leg trend by starting the relays. She posted the eighth fastest opening time of 23.01 of 43 competing teams to help the East Coast Aquatics to a total time of 1:35.04.

The second day of the SPEEDO Winter Junior Championships in North Carolina on Thursday Dec 6 saw Curaçao’s Chadé Nersicio earning a finals berth in the 50 yard freestyle for the second consecutive year.

Chadé Nercisio starts her race Photo courtesy of Michael Lyn

Nersicio placed third in the C final of the event in a time of 23.05 to be the the only CARIFTA region swimmer earning a second swim in an individual event.The Florida 1A state champion in the 50 free anchored the East Coast Aquatics team 400 yard medley relay team to 32nd with a split time of 50.35, the 13th fastest freestyle split of the 41 competing teams.The team’s total time was 3:49.43.

Jamaicans Emily MacDonald of the Bolles School and Gabrianna Banks of South Florida Aquatics had times of 24.00 and 24.25 in the 50 yard freestyle.

Puerto Rico’s Jan Collazo Torres of Trinity Prep Aquatics was the top swimmer from the CCCAN region in the 50 yard freestyle for the boys as he clocked 20.74 to place 25th. It was his third best ever performance . This as he had won the Florida 1A State Championships with personal best times in the heats and final of 20.47 and 20.38.

Jack Kirby of the Baylor School and Barbados recorded a new personal best in the event of 20.89. That bettered his previous best of 20.92 registered earlier this year in February and it also placed him 43rd overall.

The first day of the SPEEDO Winter Junior Championships East in Greensboro Aquatic Center, Greensboro, North Carolina on Wednesday December 5 saw CARIFTA region representation in the 4 x 50 medley and 4 x 200 freestyle relays.

Emily MacDonald Photo courtesy of Art Kozel

Jamaica’s Emily MacDonald and her Bolles Sharks team placed 19th in the 4x 50 medley relay with a time of 1:44.00.Emily contributed a 25.35 butterfly leg to the team effort.Last year Bolles placed 23rd in 1:44.89.

Chadé Nercisio Photo courtesy of Michael Lyn

Curaçao’s Chadé Nersicio and her East Coast Aquatics Team placed 30th overall with a time of 1:45.02. Nersicio anchored the team with a freestyle split of 22.75. Her time was the seventh fastest freestyle split of the 41 competing teams. It also represents an improvement in time for Chadé and her time since 2017 as she anchored the team in 22.92 when they had a total team effort of 1:45.52.

Gabrianna Banks in flight during a relay takeover at the UANA Cup Photo courtesy of Michael C Lyn

Gabrianna Banks of Jamaica ,who represents the South Florida Aquatic Club home of World Record holder Alia Atkinson anchored the 4 x 200 yard freestyle relay team with a split of 2:01.68 . The team placed 32nd in a total time of 7:39.25.